This invention relates to a passenger seat meal tray of the general type used on aircraft passenger seats. Such seats are fitted with a meal tray, which is fitted to the back of a seat for use by a passenger in a seat immediately aft of the seat on which the tray is fitted. The tray is mounted on legs, which permit the tray to be positioned in a use position with tray in a horizontal position and in a stowed position with the tray flush against a rear surface of the seat back. In the stowed position such prior art trays are held in place by a rotating latch referred to as a xe2x80x9cbarn doorxe2x80x9d latch, the center of which is housed in a latch plate. The barn door type of latch is susceptible to being disengaged by the hip of a passenger brushing across the table, when entering or exiting his seat. Additionally, the engaged barn door latch does not fully prevent misalignment or unintended movement of the meal tray. Therefore, it is possible for the tray to become dislodged from the latch at dimensional extremes, or when a seated passenger applies a load against the meal tray. Disengagement of the latch can deploy the meal tray to its use position and would impede egress during an emergency evacuation.
The seat back is covered with a dress cover, which is removable for cleaning purposes. In prior art designs, the ledge formed by the latch plate and the cross-member prevents efficient dress cover installation and removal by either requiring removal of these components, or necessitating the use of a flat-bladed tool. Ideally, the dress cover should be able to be removed and replaced quickly and without tools.
The present invention avoids the possibility of inadvertent deployment while retaining the benefits of prior art seat designs.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a passenger seat meal tray which enables a seat back dress cover to be removed and replaced quickly and without tools.
It is another object of the invention to provide a passenger seat meal tray which prevents inadvertent latch disengagement and deployment of the meal tray resulting from either unintentional rotation of the latch, or a force applied by a seated passenger.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in the preferred embodiments disclosed below by providing a meal tray assembly comprising a meal tray that articulates between a stowage position flush against a seat back and a lowered, horizontal use position. A latch access port extends through the meal tray from the top side to the bottom side thereof. A latch is carried on the seat back for cooperation with the latch access port in the meal tray. The latch is mounted for movement between a release position wherein the latch is extendable through the latch access port for permitting movement of the meal tray to and from the stowage position and the use position, and a locking position wherein the latch locks the meal tray in the stowage position against the surface. According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the latch is mounted on a latch plate mounted on a rear-facing side of a forwardly positioned passenger seat.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the latch access port is recessed from the bottom side of the meal tray, and the latch when in its latching position is subflush to the bottom side of the meal tray to protect the latch against disengagement during passenger movement past the stowed meal tray.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the latch access port has a relatively long longitudinal dimension and a relatively narrow lateral dimension, and the latch has a relatively long longitudinal dimension and a relatively narrow lateral dimension configured for allowing the latch to extend through the latch access port when the longitudinal dimension of the latch access port and latch are aligned with each other and to interfere with and prevent movement of the meal tray from the stowed position when the longitudinal dimension of the latch is not aligned with the longitudinal dimension of the latch access port.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the latch access port is positioned adjacent a side edge of the meal tray adjacent to the user when in the use position.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, a grommet having a flat surface with radial features is carried by the latch plate for residing against and stabilizing an adjacent top surface of the meal tray in the stowage position. The grommet is configured to secure the seat cover. The radially-positioned features mate with related features on the latch to provide detents at predetermined latch positions.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, a passenger seat is provided, comprising a ladder frame assembly including a leg for being attached to a supporting surface, a seat bottom assembly carried by the ladder frame assembly, a seat back carried by the ladder frame assembly, and a meal tray for being used by a passenger seated aft of the passenger seat. The meal tray is mounted on the passenger seat for movement between a stowage position flush against a rear-facing side of the seat back and a lowered, horizontal use position. A latch access port extends through the meal tray from the top side to the bottom side thereof. A latch plate is secured to the seat back. A latch is carried by the latch plate for cooperation with the latch access port in the meal tray. The latch is mounted for rotational movement between a release position wherein the latch is extendable through the latch access port for permitting movement of the meal tray to and from the stowage position and the use position, and a locking position wherein the latch locks the meal tray in the stowage position against the seat back.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the passenger seat invention, the latch access port is recessed from the bottom side of the meal tray, and the latch when in its latching position is recessed below the bottom side of the meal tray for protecting the latch against disengagement by passenger impact during passenger movement past the stowed meal tray.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the passenger seat invention, the latch access port has a relatively long longitudinal dimension and a relatively narrow lateral dimension. The latch has a relatively long longitudinal dimension and a relatively narrow lateral dimension configured for allowing the latch to extend through the latch access port when the longitudinal dimension of the latch access port and latch are aligned with each other and to interfere with and prevent movement of the meal tray from the stowed position when the longitudinal dimension of the latch is not aligned with the longitudinal dimension of the latch access port.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the passenger seat invention, the latch access port is positioned adjacent to a side edge of the meal tray adjacent to the user when in the use position.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, a grommet having a flat surface with radial features is carried by the latch plate for residing against and stabilizing an adjacent top surface of the meal tray in the stowage position. The grommet is configured to secure the seat cover. The radial positioned features mate with related features on the latch to provide detents at predetermined latch positions.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the passenger seat invention, the latch includes a pair of oppositely disposed, raised ears for being engaged by the thumb and forefinger of a user for rotating the latch between the release position and the locking position.